


You Are My Sunshine

by capsdaydream



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Bucky Barnes Fluff, Bucky barnes x reader - Freeform, Bucky x Reader, F/M, Fake Dating, Fluff, SSB2021, Star Spangled Bingo, b99 references, bucky barnes x you - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-01-31
Updated: 2021-03-05
Packaged: 2021-03-18 08:41:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 7,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29115411
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/capsdaydream/pseuds/capsdaydream
Summary: Life with Grumpy!Bucky and his RayOfSunshine!Reader
Relationships: James "Bucky" Barnes/Reader
Comments: 2
Kudos: 64





	1. Chapter 1

Having been a member of the Avengers for no longer than 3 months, you were finally getting to go out on your first mission without Steve looking over your shoulder. It wasn’t anything fancy - a simple stake out to watch the target and build a case. You wouldn’t be totally on your own, though. Bucky would be accompanying you on this mission, but as a partner, not a superior.  
You and Bucky seemed to get on pretty well; he was fairly quiet and reserved, straight to the point, and you could talk enough for the both of you, making it your personal mission to get him to laugh at least once whenever you trained together. 

This guy, Loren, was probably the most obviously suspicious guy you had ever seen. He was driven around in a blacked out Escalade, followed by another blacked out Escalade. He very obviously had two phones, and was very much so cheating on his wife - and his mistress - and he was accompanied everywhere with some big, bald bag of muscles stuffed into a suit. 

You had previously staked out Loren, getting to know his routine, and Thursday night was date night with his mistress. They always went to the same Italian bistro and it just so happened you and Bucky would be there that Thursday night too.  
You had finished your hair and makeup and were just sliding into your dress when there was a knock at your door, “are you almost ready?”  
“Yeah,” you replied, “Could you come help me with my zip, please?”  
The door opened to reveal Bucky dressed in a white shirt with a dark grey suit jacket, with slacks to match. He’d had his hair trimmed and his stubble had grown out a bit, it was probably the closest thing to an acceptable ‘disguise’ in a restaurant you can get; you can’t exactly wear sunglasses and a cap. He looked good. Well, he always looked good, he just looked very, very good on this occasion. He usually stuck to wearing henley’s but damn, the white shirt was definitely a welcomed change.

Okay, maybe you had a crush on Bucky but, in your defence, who wouldn’t? He was a good looking guy, a little grumpy sometimes but, that’s okay, you were cheery enough for the both of you. He was funny too, maybe sometimes without meaning to be but, you had grown feelings for the grumpy super soldier.  
Turning to face the mirror, Bucky stood behind you, zipping up your dress so delicately it was like he was afraid to touch you. “You look beautiful,” he mumbled.  
“Thanks,” you spoke softly, smiling at him through the mirror. “You look very handsome.”  
“Thanks,” he smiled softly back at you, a little tint of red creeping up his neck. 

The restaurant was pretty busy, but you spotted the target as soon as you walked through the door. He was tall and balding, well dressed and, of course, sat with his mistress, completely oblivious to the two avengers walking through the door.  
“Hi, welcome to Gino’s, how many will be dining tonight?” The hostess asked.  
“Two, please,” You replied, arm linked with Bucky’s. You would be acting like a couple simply going out for dinner in order to blend in.  
“Of course, follow me.”

Of-fucking-course, you would be sat right next to the man you were supposed to be spying on. You couldn’t write this shit. Now you would have to lay it on thick in order to pass as a couple. Shit.  
You hid your hands under the table, switching the ring sitting on your right ring finger to the left, that way if anyone asked you could pass as engaged.  
You chatted seemingly mindlessly about work, not mentioning certain names or details as not to draw attention. You ended up doing most of the talking, which was not unusual, and Bucky certainly didn’t mind you taking the lead. 

Everything was going well until your entrees arrived and Loren’s mistress spoke to you. “Sorry to interrupt but, is that the fettucini alfredo?”  
You froze a little, not expecting her to make conversation with you, “oh, uh, yes it is.”  
“I always mean to try that, is it any good?”  
Okay, simple conversation, nothing personal, you got this.  
“Yeah, it’s really good,” You smiled at her, thinking that the conversation would be over. Nope.  
“Oh, are you guys engaged? How lovely,” she gushed, grabbing your hand to inspect the ring. Well, at least she didn’t recognise you.  
You caught Bucky’s eyes across the table, his eyes said everything you wanted to. Get me out of here! “Oh yeah, we just got engaged actually.”  
“Well, as a congratulations to the lovely couple, how about we order a bottle of champagne?” Loren offered.  
“Oh, no, sir, you don’t have to do that,” Bucky finally spoke up, this was the last thing either of you wanted to happen.  
“Of course I do, this is a wonderful occasion.”  
Shit.

Champagne turned to you and Bucky having to make up a backstory on the spot. You were Rebecca and Phil, working in sales. Groovy.  
“I swear, I know you,” Loren said, looking right at Bucky.  
Don’t look too close, you thought, please for the love of God, don’t look too close.  
“You wouldn’t believe how many times he hears that, right honey?” you laughed nervously.  
“Yeah, all the time,” Bucky reached over the table to hold your hand, smiling sweetly at you.  
“So, how did you two meet?” Bianca, the mistress, asked. Really, Bianca?  
“At Work.”  
“Through a friend.” You both spoke at the same time. Shit. Bucky looked at you, you could practically hear him shouting at you to talk your way out of this one.  
“Um, well, we actually worked in the same office but we had never crossed paths until our friend, uh, Steve, introduced us and uhm the rest is history,” you stuttered, smiling lovingly at Bucky hoping to make it more believable.  
“How sweet, like it was meant to be,” Bianca said warmly, “how did you know she was the one?”  
“Oh, uh, good question.” Bucky took a gulp of water, giving himself a few more seconds to answer, “You know, she’s just the most happy, positive person I’ve ever met and it’s nice, she’s this ray of sunshine on a stormy day.”  
You know he was just making this up for the sake of the mission, but you couldn’t help that warm fuzzy feeling that flooded your body.  
“Well, here’s to the happy couple,” Loren lifted his champagne glass in a toast to Phil and Rebecca, the engaged couple who worked in sales. 

After you had finished and paid for your meals, you and Bucky got up to leave, having counted this one as a fail. While you were walking out you noticed Loren go off into the kitchen. You pulled Buck's arm, walking off down the little corridor towards the kitchen.  
“Bucky, look.” Loren was talking to another suited man, perhaps the owner.  
“Wonder who he’s talking to,” Bucky mumbled.  
Loren passed the other man a brown envelope, taking one from him in exchange, before shaking hands and making his way back out of the kitchen.  
“Oh shit, he’s coming out,” you mumbled, turning to look at Bucky, there wasn’t enough time to get out the way and look like you weren’t spying so you did the only thing you could think of. You kissed Bucky.  
Your hand went to the back of his neck, pulling him down towards you, pushing your lips onto his. He froze for a split second before relaxing into the kiss, wrapping his arms around your waist and pulling you closer to him. There certainly wasn’t enough room for Jesus. And, damn, if kissing Bucky wasn’t like a dream come true. Your free hand came to cup the side of his face, and just as he went to deepen the kiss you were interrupted by a slight cough behind you. Right, Loren!  
You pulled away, Bucky unable to make eye contact, redness creeping up his neck, “oh, sorry Mr, Loren, we didn’t realise anyone would be down here.”  
“Not to worry, dear, young love is a beautiful thing.” He smiled at you one last time before walking back off to finish his date with Bianca.  
“We, uh, we better get going, I think Sam is outside,” Bucky said, and walked off in front of you.

Later that night, Bucky, Steve and Sam were sitting nursing a few drinks, not that Bucky could get drunk.  
“So, how was the mission? Find out anything useful, like Y/L/N’s number?” Sam smirked, taking a swig from his bottle, never missing an opportunity to tease Bucky about the obvious crush he had on you.  
“What? No. Just Loren passing something off to a guy.” Bucky didn’t look at either of his friends, peeling the label off the beer bottle becoming the most interesting thing in the world.  
“What’s up with you? You’ve been off since you got back,” Steve commented.  
“Nothing,” with a look from Steve and Sam, Bucky sighed and gave in, “Y/N and I kissed.”  
He knew you were only kissing him because Loren was coming, it was a part of the job, you had to keep your cover.  
“Oh.”  
“Shit."  
“I mean, she had to, Loren was coming and we had to keep our cover.”  
“Oh, yeah, I’m sure,” Sam exaggerated, “undercover, you just had to kiss, cause that’s what we do, right, Steve? Gotta smooch to keep our cover from being blown.”  
“I hate you.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After a failed date, Bucky is there to pick up the pieces.

You had never been happier to be walking into an empty compound. The team had gone out for a few drinks at a new cocktail bar, and thankfully you wouldn’t have to face them until morning. For the first time in a while, you had been on a date. A real date, not a fake undercover-on-a-mission date. Jake worked in the PR department, and you had crossed paths a few times when preparing for press conferences or interviews. He seemed nice and had asked you out, so of course, you said yes.  
Things had been a little awkward between you and Bucky since that last mission when you kissed him. Neither of you brought it up, and he seemed a little more grumpy than usual. Okay, maybe you shouldn't have kissed him when you knew you had a crush on him, but nothing else had been said about the kiss, so you assumed he didn’t feel the same way.  
So, you said yes to going out with Jake. Although maybe you shouldn’t have. Things started out okay, you chatted and got to know each other a little better. It was nice. But, he then started digging and trying to get you to dish out dirt on your team mates. Of course, you refused, why would you have anything bad to say about people who were basically your family? After leaving the restaurant, while you were waiting for your respective Ubers, he had told you that he would rather not have a second date, he said you were ‘too nice’, and he would rather just remain friends. You were so confused, how could someone be too nice? Did he want you to bitch and moan the whole date? How could you ‘remain friends’ with someone you weren’t even friends with, to begin with? Wasn’t it a good thing to be happy and positive? Not that you would want to go on another date with him, just for him to try and get dirt on the team again, but it was still a little disheartening.  
You had gone straight to your apartment in the compound as soon as you returned, swapping your dress for an oversized hoodie and soft cotton shorts, you washed your makeup off and threw your hair up into a bun.  
Feeling a little deflated, you made your way to the lounge. If you were going to feel sad, then you were going to do it while laying on the sofa that felt like you were floating on a cloud and watching your favourite show on the massive flat-screen. You weren’t expecting to see anyone there, let alone Bucky lounging across the sofa, sports channel playing on the TV.  
“Oh, hey, I thought you were all going out to that bar tonight,” You said, coming to sit on the other end of the sofa.  
“Nah, didn’t feel like it,” he grumbled, “what about you, thought you had a date with, uh, Jack, how did that go?”  
“Jake,” you corrected, “and I did but, uh, he doesn’t want to see me again, he would rather remain friends.”  
“What? is he broken or something?”  
“He thinks I’m ‘too happy’, and spent the better half of the date trying to get me to bitch about the team,” you reply, air quoting Jake's words. Every time your mind replayed his words, your heart sunk a little more. You were proud of yourself for being so positive, in this line of work you had to be.  
“What?” Bucky looked bewildered, “punk must be crazy! Want me to have a little talk with him?”  
“No! No, that’s okay,” You exclaimed, knowing that it wouldn’t be a talk, it would be a ‘talk’. “I just don’t understand, did he want me to go on the date and complain the whole time? ” you frowned.  
Bucky didn’t think he’d ever seen such a negative expression on your face, and moved closer to you, wrapping an arm around your shoulder.. “Hey, being a happy, positive person is not a bad thing,” he reassured, “you’re one of the sweetest, kindest people I know, and in a job like this, that’s a rare find. Besides, you’re the only person who makes this grumpy, old man laugh some days. ”  
“Thanks,” you mumbled, smiling down at your lap, “you know, for a grumpy old man, you’re not too bad.”  
“Thanks, kid,” there was a short pause before he continued, “you know I wasn’t lying when I told Loren that you were a ray of sunshine on a stormy day.”  
You sat up, turning so you could face Bucky properly, you could finally talk about what happened between the two of you at Gino’s. “You know, I’m sorry for kissing you like that, I should have told you what I was going to do.”  
“Hey, you did what you had to do to keep our cover from being blown, we were lucky neither of them recognised us in the first place,” he had moved to face you, “plus, it was a pretty good kiss.”  
“It was, right?” You giggled, “we’re pretty good at it.”  
“We make a good team,” he chuckled, passing you the TV remote, “Okay, Little Miss Sunshine, pick something good to watch, no chick flicks.” 

You spent the night watching Brooklyn Nine-Nine, Bucky had never watched it before, so it was fun to see his reactions to the characters for the first time. You had begun comparing the squad from the Nine-Nine to the members of the team. You had firmly decided that Nat was Rosa, beautiful yet scary and that Steve would be a good Holt, authoritative and a good leader yet, fun when the time called for it. Tony was one hundred percent Gina, no arguments. You told Bucky that he was a mix of Holt and Rosa, grumpy and no-nonsense, but, as he had shown today, protective of his friends.  
“I’ve only had Arlo for a day and a half, but if anything happened to him I would kill everyone in this room and then myself,” Rosa’s voice sounded from the TV, causing you to giggle to yourself.  
“You know a show is good when they start making memes out of it.”  
“I’m sorry, a what now?” Bucky looked at you like you had three heads, “A meme?”  
“A meme, like, you know, a meme,” you emphasised the word more each time you repeated it.  
“Doll, you gotta know that repeating the word at me isn’t gonna tell me what it means,” he chuckled.  
You pulled up a screenshot of the meme made of Rosa and the puppy, something Bucky would surely understand since he had just watched it. “So basically, this is Tony,” you pointed to Rosa, “and this is Peter,” you pointed to the puppy, “and Tony is saying he’s only had Peter for a day and a half but if anything ever happened to him, he would kill everyone in the room and then himself. Get it?”  
Bucky hummed in acknowledgement, and you went back to watching the show. Every so often, he would comment on the show, chuckling at the antics of the Nine-Nine  
“I really hope you don’t get any ideas from this show, this place is chaotic enough.” He grumbled as you laughed along to the Halloween Heist episode.  
“Well if I hadn’t before, I do now.” You smiled sweetly. The grumpy super soldier muttered under his breath about how he wasn’t surprised.  
Spending the evening with Bucky had thoroughly cheered you up. You had pretty much completely forgotten about Jake from PR and his poor excuse for not wanting to see you again. You didn’t need to waste time on someone who thought you were too happy or overly positive. You have a great team of people who love you just the way you are.  
The later it got, the closer you and Bucky got. You were sitting with your head on his shoulder, legs thrown over his lap and his arm still wrapped around your shoulders, free hand resting on your thigh. It was peaceful, comfortable.  
“Hey, come on, you’ll hate me if I let you fall asleep here,” Bucky mumbled, shaking you lightly.  
“Huh? Oh, sorry,” you blinked, rubbing your eyes, “yeah, I think it’s time for bed.” Moving off the sofa and away from Bucky, the chill of the night sends a shiver throughout your body. It had been a great end to a crappy night, and you were thankful that you had at least brought up the kiss and brushed over it.  
“Good night, Buck,” you yawned and leaned down to press a light kiss to his cheek. Only, his head moved at the last second and your lips brushed against his. Had you been awake you would have probably panicked and profusely apologised, however in your tired state you paid no mind, only thinking about getting to bed before you fell asleep standing up.  
Shuffling out of sight, yawning as you went, you didn’t turn back. If you had, you would have seen the super soldier frozen upright with a look of shock on his blush covered face.  
“Oh,” Bucky breathed. 

Maybe you weren’t the only one who had caught feelings after all.

The next morning, just as you were getting ready to leave for your morning training session, you noticed a piece of paper on the floor. Picking it up, you couldn’t help the loud laugh that escaped your mouth, echoing through your quiet apartment.  
On the paper was a print out of the Rosa meme, except Rosa’s face was covered with a cut out of Tony’s, Peter’s face had been pasted onto the dog’s, and the text changed so that the dog’s name read Peter.  
_Y/N, I made you a meem. I hope you have a great day. _  
Bucky__


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Angst with a happy ending. I'm sorry but also, you might forgive me??

It was supposed to be a simple mission, get in, grab the lockbox full of a new hydra formula and kick some ass. No one had realised that someone at Hydra had been playing video games, namely Saints Row, and decided to experiment to make their very own brutes. If you thought a super-soldier was strong, they were nothing compared to these abominations made by the wacky scientists. They were well over 7 foot tall and almost as broad, muscled all over and damn near impossible to kill, even a hit from a real super-soldier did no damage. These brutes only had one order, kill, and by god they tried.

Y/N’s face was unrecognisable, that thing had beaten her bloody. She no doubt had a multitude of broken bones, cuts, bruises and various other injuries.

She had drifted in and out of consciousness, mumbling incoherently whenever she came too. With her eyes swollen shut, it was difficult for the team to know if she was awake or not. The only thing that told them she was alive was the slow heartbeat in her chest. Despite receiving emergency care on the jet, it was a race against the clock to get her back to the compound and into the medical bay.

Although Bucky never showed his feelings on his face, it was obvious that he was distraught; was pacing back and forth, checking every few minutes to see if her condition had changed.

Bucky was spiralling. He knew his feelings for her were growing more and more serious every day. He had told Steve about the kiss at the restaurant, albeit Steve and Sam teased the shit out of him. He had told Steve about comforting her and her kissing him after that god awful date. Steve had helped him use the printer for the ‘meem’, and he had encouraged Bucky to come clean and tell her about his feelings. But if she didn’t make it out of this, then he would never be able to.

“L/N is prepped and ready for surgery as soon as we get there, got no time to waste,” Tony informed FRIDAY to relay to the waiting medical team.

No time to waste, the phrase played over and over in Bucky’s mind. He stalked off away from the rest of the team, he was spiralling, his mind going to the worst case scenarios and he couldn’t have his teammates seeing him like that. His heart rate was climbing rapidly, his chest tight; like all the oxygen had been sucked out of his body and he couldn’t get a breath in.

“Buck,” Steve’s voice sounded too loud yet too far away at the same time, “hey, Buck, you with me, pal?”

Bucky felt someone moving him over, sitting him down on the edge of a crate. His head was spinning, feeling like it was stuffed full of cotton. He couldn’t think, yet he couldn’t get his thoughts to stop, they only got louder. He knew he was having a panic attack, but he couldn’t get it to stop.

“Bucky, come on, man, you gotta breath. Y/N’s gonna be okay.”

Would she? They had never encountered one of those things before. Sure, she looked beat up on the outside but no one knows the extent of the damage inside, and that was all that Bucky could think about.

Y/N was rushed off the jet and straight into surgery. He trusted that the medical team would do their best, but he didn’t know if their best would be enough.

The hours dragged on when she was under the knife. He watched every second tick by, not even bothering to change out of his tactical gear, Steve had stuck with him the whole time, the rest of the team taking turns to stop by every so often, but trying to give Bucky some privacy, knowing he was taking it the hardest. Every time someone passed by, he would look up, hoping that person would be the one to tell him that she was okay.

The later it got, Bucky’s upset turned to anger. He vowed that he would destroy every single person that was involved with those monsters that hurt her.

He would take great pleasure in killing the evil behind their creation. His anger got worse the more he thought about it. What was he doing just sitting here when she was in there fighting the hardest, most important fight of her life.

“Buck, don’t,” Steve warned as Bucky pushed himself up off the plastic chair and stormed across the waiting room. He had refrained from looking through the little window on the door that looked out onto the operating theatre, so far, but he couldn’t take it anymore.

But, God, hindsight is a bitch. He looked through the window and saw the medical team rushing around Y/N, the doctor holding the defibrillator as another was pressing buttons on the machine monitoring her heartbeat, the red line flat.

“Clear.”

As her body jerked with the shock of the defibrillator, Bucky flinched. He could feel the panic set in again, his body shaking with terror. The shock hadn’t worked the first time, and with another jolt of electricity, her fragile body jerked again.

There’s a sharp ringing in Bucky’s ears and the next thing he knows, he’s lurching over the trash can. He can feel Steve’s hand on his back but he can’t make out what he’s saying as he empties the contents of his stomach into the trash can.

And then he hears it. We got a pulse. So faintly, at first, that he’s not sure he did hear it. But, then he hears the rhythmic beeping, and he wipes his mouth with the back of his hand, looking up at the window again. The machine is beeping, the little lines moving in a jagged pattern, signalling that her heart was beating. Y/N was alive. He could breathe again.

Steve brought him a cup of water and encouraged him to calm down. Everything was going to be okay.

No less than two hours later, Dr Cho entered the waiting area, Bucky jumping up out of his seat, eager to hear what she had to say.

“Good news, Miss L/N is now stable and should make a full recovery. There were a few complications, and there was a lot of internal damage that we were not expecting, she was very lucky to make it out of this.” She was gonna be okay.

“Can I see her?” Bucky asked. He didn’t even recognise his own voice, hoarse and strained.

“Yes, she is still sedated but, she’s been moved to the recovery bay and she should wake up in the next few hours,” Cho explained, and that was all he needed to hear before he was darting off down the corridor.

She’d never looked more vulnerable. Bruised, beaten and hooked up to numerous drips and machines. Her face was swollen and skin ashen, the only thing that showed she was alive was the shallow rising and falling of her chest.

He pulled the small chair over to the side of the bed, taking her small hand in his. It was probably the one place on her body that wasn’t bruised or broken. It broke Bucky’s heart to see her like this.

After a few minutes, the combination of adrenaline flooding from Bucky’s system, the repetitive beeping from the machines, and the comfort of knowing that Y/N was going to be okay was enough for Bucky to succumb to the exhaustion, falling into a light sleep with his head resting on the edge of the bed.

Ever a light sleeper, Bucky woke with a start when she began to rouse. “Oh, thank God,” he breathed in relief.

-

Trying to lift your hand to wipe the drowsiness off your face, you groaned, not able to move it more than a few inches off the bed.

“What the fuck,” you grumbled. It felt like you had swallowed sandpaper, your throat dry and scratchy. Despite the medication, your eyes were still very swollen, making it hard to see where you were and what is going on.

“Hey, here, this’ll help,” Bucky spoke from beside you, holding a small cup to your lips.

Sighing in relief, the cold water soothed your throat, “what happened?”

“What’s the last thing you remember?”

“That 7-foot wall of muscle beating me like the Hulk beat Loki way back when,” you chuckled at the memory, wincing in pain at the twinges across your body.

“That about sums it up, caused a lot more damage than we thought, Cho said you were lucky to make it out,” Bucky cleared his throat, rubbing at his jaw before continuing, “we uh, we almost lost you, they had to resuscitate you. I-I was so scared.” Bucky very rarely showed his vulnerable side, so seeing him so worried tugged at your heartstrings. You went to move, to try and comfort him, you were okay, you were alive, but you winced as pain radiated through your body. “I’ll go get Cho, she’ll be able to get you pain relief.”

Dr Cho explained to you what Bucky had, but in more detail. You had been beaten by some monstrosity, damaged inside and out with internal bleeding, your heart stopped on the operating table when they couldn’t find the source of it, but they had managed to start your heart and stop the bleeding. You would make a full recovery but there was no telling how long that would take.

After Cho gave you more pain relief, you had convinced Bucky to go take some time to himself, get a shower and change out of his tac gear and update the team on how you were. He would only be sitting watching you sleep, otherwise.

After a few days, the swelling had reduced and although looking like you had gone twelve rounds with Rocky, you were allowed out of the medical wing and back to your apartment. You were on strict bed rest, with a broken leg and a broken wrist, it wasn’t like you could do much else anyway. Everyone had been fussing over you, making sure you didn’t overwork yourself and that you were comfortable at all times.

You didn’t have to worry about cooking because Bucky took care of that, laundry was done by Nat and Tony made sure someone was at your beck and call if and when you needed anything. But all you wanted was to be better. You wanted to get back out into the field and make sure those things didn’t hurt anyone ever again.

Bucky had been there for you day and night, and despite being his usual grumpy self, he was the perfect little nurse to help you while you got better, something you teased him about often.

-

_“Did you take your meds?” Bucky asked for the fourth time. He had been fussing over you since you had been allowed back to your apartment.  
“Yes, nurse Bucky,” you replied, for the fourth time  
“Did you eat?”  
“Yes, nurse Bucky, now come sit down, you make a better door than a window,” you sassed.  
“What does that even mean?”  
“It means I can’t see the TV, sit down.”  
You both sat in a comfortable silence watching the TV, when Sam entered your apartment with an armful of junk food, a takeout pizza box and a plain carrier bag in his arms, a beaming smile plastered on his face, “I come bearing gifts and pizza, how you doin’, kid?”  
“Same old, got nurse Bucky here looking after me,” you grinned, teasingly pinching Bucky’s cheek.  
Putting the pizza and junk food down onto the coffee table, he handed Bucky the plain carrier bag, “I heard about you being a good little nurse for Y/N, so Steve and I got you a gift.”  
“What’s in the bag?” Bucky asked, eyeing the item sceptically, not trusting that Sam was being nice just to be nice.  
“Just open it, man.”  
As Bucky pulled the ‘gift’ out of the bag, you couldn’t help the laughter that escaped your mouth.  
“What the fuck?” Bucky looked perplexed. Holding the tiny white dress up in front of him.  
With red trim and little cross on it, it was quite obviously a slutty nurse costume. But what caught your eye was the little piece of embroidery on the chest of the dress. Barnes was stitched in cherry-red thread, standing out against the crisp white material.  
Sam popped the recliner, sitting back on the sofa, looking particularly smug. You had to give it to him, it was a great idea, and the look on Bucky’s face was a picture.  
“This is a waste of money, you know,” the super-soldier sighed, shaking his head at the two of you.  
“Don’t worry, Halloween is coming up and I’m in need of a costume,” you giggled.  
“Ah, you see,” Bucky winced, gesturing to the embroidery, “you don’t have my last name though.”  
“I don’t think anyone’s gonna be looking at the name tag,” Sam quipped, trying to suppress his smirk as Bucky glared at him, blush creeping up his neck._  
-

He was there when you woke up and there when you went to sleep, some might think that would be suffocating but you sought comfort in the fact that your grumpy super-soldier was there. You’d had a few nightmares about what happened to you, and although you laughed it off, choosing to remain your positive self, the team saw right through it. Almost losing your life had been a shock to the system - literally.

“You okay?” Bucky asked, snapping you out of your thoughts. You’d decided to spend the evening watching a movie, it wasn’t like you could do much else. You were both lounging on the sofa in your apartment. Tony had bought you a new one, similar to that in the common room, the one that felt like you were sinking into a cloud and thankfully had recliners in it so that you couple prop your leg up, rather than just using the coffee table and a few cushions.

“Hmm, yeah,” you sighed, “just thinking.”

“About?”

“Honestly, how lucky I am,” you looked over at him. his blue eyes filled with worry, “just how short life is and how I could have died without doing even one thing on my bucket list.”

“Like what?”

“Like see the world without being on a mission to save it, see the great barrier reef, fall in love, buy my dream wedding dress for my dream wedding, have a family, live my life.” Tears filled your eyes, you’d been so close to not doing any of this, “I don’t like this feeling, looking over my shoulder constantly, jumping at nothing, terrified that one of those things is going to come after me again.”

Bucky had moved across the sofa, wrapping you up in his muscular arms, careful not to hurt any stitches or bruises. You felt safe with Bucky like no one and nothing could hurt you.

Looking up at him, you got lost in his eyes, a kaleidoscope of blues. It was no surprise that you had fallen for him.

“Buck, I need to be honest,” you started, looking at your lap, “I need you to know- I need to tell you that I think I love you. I mean, I know I do. And I need to you know that because even if you don’t feel the same, life is too short and I am so scared that something is going to happen to me and I won’t get this chance again,” you looked up, he was looking directly at you with wide eyes, if he was a cartoon character his eyebrows would have shot off his face.

“Oh god, Bucky, I’m so sorry, I just had to tell you, I never meant to make you uncom-mmf,” you were cut off by his lips pressing against yours. His vibranium hand cupping your face, the cool metal bringing you back to reality and you grip the back of his neck, pulling him closer to you, lips moving together in perfect harmony.

He pulled away and with a dopey smile, he spoke, “I love you, too.”


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Y/N has started ‘borrowing’ Bucky’s clothes, it’s only fair he borrows something of hers.

Since you and Bucky had finally admitted your feelings for one another, things had been amazing. You’d gotten your casts off and were on a strict physiotherapy routine to get your strength back, and eventually get back into the field. Bucky had been with you every step of the way, through all of the blood, sweat and tears. The workouts that you once did so easily were now impossible. You’d had to start at the beginning; walking before you could run, lifting only a fraction of what you used to, and you hadn’t even started thinking about hand to hand combat yet. It would have been so easy for Bucky to choose the easy option, but his love and commitment to you never once faltered.

Although you’d not been able to do regular ‘couple’ things, your relationship had grown so naturally. Bucky had been staying in your apartment two or three nights a week so that there was someone with you in case you needed any help during the night, even though FRIDAY would alert someone if you needed. It was nice though, that he was there with you.

During the weeks he’d spent in your apartment, Bucky had made himself at home - not that you minded. His toothbrush sat in the holder next to yours, his shower gel and other bits and bobs had slowly made their way into the bathroom, and he had a drawer full of his clothes in your dresser.

Of course, with Bucky now keeping his clothes in your dresser you may have borrowed a few items from him. It started when you had that big, bulky cast on your leg and none of your clothes fit over it, and wearing shorts was all fine and well until your other leg got cold. So, you borrowed a pair of sweats that Bucky had left behind, and you were hooked. They were so soft and cosy - why didn’t they make girls sweats like that?

Bucky didn’t seem to notice that you had taken ownership of his sweats until he had come back from the gym one day and went to change into them after a shower, only to find that they weren’t in the drawer where he’d left them. Making his way out to the living room with his shorts slung low on his hips, you couldn’t help but stare. It wasn’t often he went without a shirt, but god, the sight of Bucky shirtless always rendered you speechless, and fresh out the shower after a workout? Well, you’re not sure if you even remember a single word in the English dictionary.

“Hey, babe, have you seen my sweats?” He asked.

“Huh?” You gawped, too busy staring at your boyfriend who looked like he’d been carved by the greek gods. Snapping back to reality as he chuckled at your blatant staring, “Oh, uh, no.”

He chucked once more at your pretend ignorance, nodding to your sweatpant covered legs, “not those sweats right there?”

“Bucky, my love, I have no idea what you’re talking about,” you smiled innocently.

He plunked himself down onto the couch next to you, throwing his arm over the back of the sofa, getting comfortable. “You know, one of these days you’re going to come back from physio or an appointment, and I’m gonna be sitting right here in a pair of your yoga pants, and you’re gonna get a taste of your own medicine.”

The image of Bucky lounging around in a pair of your bright pink yoga pants sent you into a fit of giggles. “Buck, you have no idea how much I would pay to see that.”

A few weeks later, the autumn months had begun and the temperature had dropped; Bucky had been complaining about the cold. His arm always seemed to become more painful as the weather got colder, and he was one of those evil creatures who would put his cold feet on your legs when you were trying to sleep.

So, in truth, you weren’t all that surprised to come back from a gym session to see Bucky watching TV with his feet up and a pair of your fluffy socks stretched over his feet. It wasn’t quite the yoga pants image that he had promised, but it was amusing to see your ever grumpy, super-soldier boyfriend with your favourite pair of bright pink and purple fuzzy socks on his feet.

“My socks!” You cried in mock horror.

Bucky just smiled at you like butter wouldn’t melt, “Y/N, my love, I have no idea what you’re talking about.”

You looked at him with your mouth agape, the audacity to not only steal your favourite pair of fuzzy socks but to throw your own words back at you. You walked off to the bathroom, ready to shower off your workout, mumbling under your breath that ‘it’s only cute when I do it’.

“Hey, count yourself lucky! I did try to pull on your leggings, but they didn’t go past my ankles,” he called after you, chuckling to himself.

As much as you teased each other about stealing the other’s clothes, it had soon become a natural part of your relationship. You were quite thankful that the fuzzy socks kept Bucky’s feet warm, so if he did put his feet on you in bed, they weren’t ice blocks, and even after your cast came off, you still wore Bucky’s sweats, adamant that your own were nowhere near as soft.

It was the team’s movie night at the compound, comfy clothes and snacks compulsory.

You were sure the two of you looked a sight as you walked towards the common room. You with Bucky’s sweats and henley, both about three sizes too big and the legs and sleeves rolled up, and Bucky with his usual resting-bitch-face and your bright pink fuzzy socks on his feet.

The team were all there chatting away while they had waited on you and Bucky to join them. As Bucky went off to grab you both a drink and some snacks, Natasha’s eyes followed him like he had suddenly grown an extra head. Waiting till he was out of sight, she turned to everyone,

“Anyone else seeing this?”

A chorus of ‘what?’ filled the room. Natasha sighed, for earth mightiest defenders, they really were the most oblivious people. “Oh, come on, you can’t tell me you missed that, he’s wearing bright pink socks.”

“What’s so bad?” you asked, “his feet get cold, so he wears my socks.” You cringe as the team laughs at your justification. Hargid’s voice entering your head, you should not have said tha’, should not have said tha’.

“What’s so funny?” Bucky asked, coming back into the room and handing you your drink.

“Nothing, Y/N was just telling us about how your wittle feet get so cold,” Tony mocked in a baby voice, prompting another round of laughs from the team.

You looked at Bucky apologetically, the expression on his face telling you just how done he was with these jokes already. It seemed like they were spending more time making fun of the world’s scariest super soldier than watching the movie.

Even Peter, who was new-ish to the team and slightly very intimidated by Bucky, had started teasing him, “I never thought I’d see the day where Spiderman was scarier than The Winter Soldier,” he laughed, shaking his head at his own joke, until he saw Bucky glaring over at him, “uh- oh- you know, um, hmm, I’m sorry, Mr Barnes - I mean Sergeant Barnes, Mr Winter Soldier, sir,” he stuttered, terror painted across his face.

You swatted Buck’s arm, knowing Bucky wasn’t seriously angry with Peter, just trying to get him to shut up. “Hey, leave the kid alone.”

“Seriously? Natasha wore a pink shirt last week and no one said anything,” Bucky complained.

“And?” Natasha looked round at Bucky, silently challenging him to continue.

“Well, no one made fun of you for wearing pink, and you never wear pink.”

“Yeah, that’s because we’re all scared of Nat, you on the other hand, not so much,” Tony replied, a mischievous glint in his eye.

Bucky huffed and turned to watch the movie, not that he’d been able to pay much attention in the first place. The team had quietened down, watching what was left of the movie in a comfortable silence, leaving Bucky and his pink socks alone.

“As comfy as those socks are, man, did you have to go for the pink ones?” Sam asked, breaking the silence and causing the team to laugh again.

Bucky simply kicked his feet up onto the coffee table showing off the offending item, he turned to Sam and with a deadpan expression he spoke, “yes.”


End file.
